When Yu Li woke up, it was already past eight o’clock.
She had slept better than usual that night, experiencing a level of physical rest she hadn’t felt in a long time.
For once, there was no headache or stomachache after a night of heavy drinking.
However, her gland felt hollow, asserting its presence with a dull ache of dissatisfaction.
The faint traces of alpha pheromones from the previous night had completely vanished from the air.
Yu Li pressed her hand against her gland her fingers cold, the gland burning hot.
She knew her heat cycle might not be over yet.
The temporary mark from the isolation room last time had only suppressed her heat temporarily. The mingled alpha pheromones at yesterday’s banquet had reignited it.
Yu Li recalled the events of the previous night.
The young alpha’s pheromones had indeed affected her.
The girl was well-behaved, obedient.
A perfectly competent personal assistant.
Originally, Yu Li had hired Ye Zhixun as her assistant just to have an excuse to summon her whenever needed.
As for the effect of Ye Zhixun’s pheromones on her, Yu Li wasn’t about to discuss that with someone she barely knew.
But Yu Li hadn’t expected that getting a whiff of Ye Zhixun’s pheromones wouldn’t be so easy.
Last night had clearly gone beyond the duties of a personal assistant.
Ye Zhixun had probably been frightened again.
Now, if she didn’t want to rely on suppressants anymore, what excuse could she use to ask Ye Zhixun for a temporary mark?
What were the boundaries of this obedient yet timid alpha?
The thought made Yu Li’s brow twitch slightly.
Ye Zhixun wasn’t one of her business rivals just an innocent college student. The ruthlessness honed in the corporate world shouldn’t be directed at her.
Yu Li pushed the thoughts aside and got up to wash up.
Before leaving, she picked up her phone, intending to message Ye Zhixun to come make breakfast, but she saw a message from her instead.
[Sis, breakfast is ready. I’ll come clean up at noon.]
Yu Li frowned, surprised that Ye Zhixun had already prepared breakfast.
She went to the dining room and saw the warming plate turned on. Under the cover were a bowl of millet porridge, two egg pancakes, two side dishes one stir-fried cucumber and one salted egg yolk with baby bok choy.
Yu Li sat down and ate slowly.
The food was still delicious.
But her expression darkened.
Ye Zhixun was clearly avoiding her, finding ways to stay out of her way.
After breakfast, Yu Li tidied up and left for work. Discomfort was nothing new when it came to her work routine.
The pile of tasks at the company kept her too busy to dwell on anything else.
By noon, after finishing a meeting, Yu Li felt hungry and received another message from Ye Zhixun.
[Sis, lunch is ready. I’ll come clean up in the afternoon.]
Before Yu Li could summon her, Ye Zhixun had taken the initiative perfectly timing it to avoid crossing paths with Yu Li.
Yu Li’s face darkened as she tapped her phone but didn’t reply.
In the afternoon, Ye Zhixun arrived precisely on schedule to clean the kitchen, prepared dinner, and then vanished again.
After much deliberation the previous night, Ye Zhixun had finally come up with this solution.
By memorizing Yu Li’s routine from their past two days together, she could avoid running into her at Victoria Harbour Court. She would be a ghost of a personal assistant, fulfilling Yu Li’s “work tasks” while minimizing the chances of making mistakes and risking her life.
Perfect.
When Ye Zhixun returned to her own place, Gu Qiaqia was putting on makeup.
“Ah Xun, make sure you don’t have to work overtime today!” Gu Qiaqia said to her.
“No overtime today, I think,” said Ye Zhixun. Since Yu Li hadn’t replied to her messages in the morning or at noon, and had eaten the meals she prepared, this approach seemed to be working.
“That’s great! Zhixun, do you want to put on some makeup?” Gu Qiaqia beckoned to her.
“No thanks, I’m not used to it,” Ye Zhixun declined with a wave.
“Ah, your skin is flawless, and your features are perfect. Even if I tried, I wouldn’t know how to make you look better, so jealous!” Gu Qiaqia laughed.
Ye Zhixun usually only used moisturizer and nothing else.
Back then, Yu Qi had also wanted to do her makeup, but her skills were limited, and the result ended up worse than Ye Zhixun’s natural look.
Since she wasn’t comfortable with makeup anyway, she had always gone bare-faced.
Not that it affected her attractiveness in the slightest.
Once Gu Qiaqia finished her makeup, the two headed out, each carrying a bag.
Earlier that afternoon, Ye Zhixun had shared the extra fruit with her classmates and a few teachers, but there was still plenty left.
Since they were going to Gu Qiaqia’s class gathering, where the omega Gu Qiaqia liked, along with that omega’s close friend, would be attending, she packed the remaining fruit to share with everyone.
Gu Qiaqia had tasted the fruit from Ye Zhixun’s hometown before, it was top-tier. If sold in supermarkets, it definitely wouldn’t be cheap.
But without any labels or branding, and packaged casually, it didn’t look particularly impressive.
Still, it made for a decent gift.
When they arrived at the restaurant entrance, Gu Qiaqia froze.
“Damn, I had no idea Hongfu Jiayan was this upscale. The two of us walking in with plastic bags looks kinda ridiculous,” she muttered to Ye Zhixun under her breath.
The private dining venue was built in a traditional courtyard-style mansion, exuding an air of refined elegance from the entrance alone.
“It’s fine. The staff here are probably professional enough not to say anything to our faces,” Ye Zhixun reassured her.
Her expression remained unreadable, aside from when she was around Yu Li, she always seemed composed.
“…” Gu Qiaqia was speechless. Not saying it out loud just means they’ll think it. Even Ye Zhixun probably realized how silly it looked, but she clearly didn’t care.
No point in throwing it away now.
Carrying their bags, they followed the waiter through winding corridors to their private dining room.
Three or four people were already inside. Gu Qiaqia made introductions.
“Cheng Yafu, the class beauty of our Materials Physics program, and also our class’s arts coordinator. She sings beautifully.”
“And this one, you might recognize her Huo Jinmian, a campus celebrity. Don’t let her gentle demeanor fool you; she’s top of her class in Metallurgical Engineering.”
Gu Qiaqia had already told Ye Zhixun that the omega she liked was Cheng Yafu, so Ye Zhixun let her sit next to her crush while she took the seat beside Gu Qiaqia.
Huo Jinmian, the omega introduced by Gu Qiaqia, was exquisitely beautiful, the gentle, refined type.
She was also the one who had asked Gu Qiaqia to invite Ye Zhixun out.
From the moment Ye Zhixun entered, Huo Jinmian had been discreetly observing her.
An alpha with a melancholic air and a hint of preoccupation, somehow even more striking.
After the introductions, Gu Qiaqia placed their bags on the table.
“These are grown at A-Xun’s home, freshly picked. My family sent over quite a lot, so I’m sharing them with everyone. The small bags are already portioned out, take some home to try. Consider this my way of sharing the bounty,” Gu Qiaqia said as she distributed the contents of the bag, giving each person a small packet.
Cheng Yafu accepted the plastic bag politely and said thank you.
The classmates sitting beside Huo Jinmian exchanged glances.
They had already heard about Ye Zhixun.
Who would have thought she’d be so… down-to-earth.
Even if she was good-looking, that couldn’t put food on the table, could it?
Huo Jinmian and Yu Qi had always been at odds, yet now she was interested in Yu Qi’s ex and even roped them into helping.
It made no sense.
“Thank you. I really love this welcome gift. You have land at home? That’s so nice. Have you ever farmed before?” Huo Jinmian, the one in question, asked Ye Zhixun with a soft, sweet voice, her tone sincere. She seemed genuinely delighted by the gift in the plastic bag and very interested in Ye Zhixun.
“Yes, I have. I help out during winter and summer breaks when I go home,” Ye Zhixun replied frankly.
“Having your own land where you can grow whatever you want to eat, that’s wonderful. What kind of work is there during winter break?” Huo Jinmian asked with keen interest.
Ye Zhixun answered politely with a few words.
Gu Qiaqia chimed in occasionally, relieved to see Huo Jinmian and Ye Zhixun getting along.
An omega pursuing an alpha was already relatively easier, let alone someone as outstanding as Huo Jinmian.
Good looks really were an advantage even omegas would take the initiative.
Gu Qiaqia sighed inwardly as she watched them chat, then tried to strike up a conversation with Cheng Yafu, the omega beside her.
The dishes here had been pre-ordered since some took a long time to prepare some even required a day or two.
After a short wait, the food arrived, and they continued chatting while eating.
“That dress Yu Qi wore at her birthday party was stunning. I heard it was borrowed for her by Song Feiyu.”
“I heard Song Feiyu booked the Victoria cruise ship reserved it over ten days in advance. The Victoria requires reservations; you can’t just book and go on the same day.”
As the conversation flowed, the two girls beside Huo Jinmian brought up Yu Qi.
Huo Jinmian discreetly observed Ye Zhixun’s reaction.
Rumor had it that after the breakup, Ye Zhixun had been heartbroken, her emotions in turmoil, she’d even taken up marathon running to vent, becoming a trending topic on the campus forum.
Huo Jinmian wanted to use the girls’ words to remind Ye Zhixun.
To let go of Yu Qi.
“Ye Zhixun, we don’t mean anything by it. We’ve heard about your situation we just want you to see the truth. I don’t believe Yu Qi was unaware of Song Feiyu’s intentions. She probably moved on a long time ago. You must have sensed it, right?” one of the girls said to Ye Zhixun.
“Thanks for your concern. But drawing conclusions based on assumptions isn’t great, that’s how most rumors start,” Ye Zhixun replied.
The girl who had spoken looked embarrassed.
Huo Jinmian, however, gazed at Ye Zhixun with renewed interest.
They say a breakup reveals a person’s true character. Ye Zhixun hadn’t spoken a single ill word about Yu Qi after their split even now, she defended her. That was commendable.
Though perhaps her lingering feelings for Yu Qi might complicate things.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. After dinner, we’re going bowling it’s already booked. Yafu has been wanting to play for ages,” Huo Jinmian said with a smile, steering the conversation elsewhere.
Ye Zhixun had little interest in playing around, but Gu Qiaqia tugged at her sleeve with pleading eyes, so she continued following them.
Meanwhile, Yu Li received a message from Ye Zhixun after work dinner was ready, and she could eat as soon as she got home.
On her way back to Victoria Harbour Court, Yu Li called Qin Shuangxue over.
After a long day of work, the discomfort in her glands had built up to a threshold. Faced with the choice of summoning Ye Zhixun or taking suppressants, Yu Li opted for the latter.
“Your glandular hormones are rising again. Last time’s tests showed they were stabilizing. Honestly, your pheromone imbalance symptoms are becoming increasingly erratic,” Qin Shuangxue remarked after examining Yu Li, then administered the suppressant injection.
The sting of the needle piercing her skin made Yu Li frown.
The cold liquid slowly seeped into her bloodstream, making her body temperature drop. A chill spread through her, nerves tightening, dizziness creeping in. A dull ache pulsed through her limbs, while her glands resisted nearby nerves twitching in protest.
These were the side effects of high-concentration suppressants.
Yu Li thought she had long grown accustomed to them.
Yet now, it felt like plunging into an abyss.
A stark contrast to the sensation she experienced when inhaling Ye Zhixun’s pheromones.
Closing her eyes, Yu Li tried to readjust. Soon, her phone chimed with a new message.
[A-Li, you won’t mind if I teach this little alpha a lesson, right?]
The text from Qin Nanzhen included a photo.
Ye Zhixun stood among a group of girls, towering over them with fair skin and bright eyes, strikingly attractive.
She carried several bags in her hands while a pretty omega smiled up at her, chatting animatedly.
Yu Li’s already grim expression darkened further, her discomfort worsening her mood.